In The Closet

Last year at about this time, the closet in the room that is now my studio, prior to renovation, looked like this: 

go ahead, scream, clutch your stomach in revulsion, do what you need to do. I'll wait.

OK? Now it looks like this:

It's amazing what a little paint and some inexpensive wire shelving can do, no?

Now there is a place for the guts of an office: the pads and tape and letterhead and cords and drawing supplies and bootlegged quickbooks cd's......you get the pic.

I don't pretend to be in league with these beauties, but they sure are inspiring!

Chalk It Up

I recently came across this picture of a restaurant interior and thought the corkscrew was an ingenious and fresh use of chalkboard paint ~ admittedly a trend that has been a wee bit overdone.  Don't get me wrong, I love it and have a great vintage blackboard in my own kitchen.  

I got to thinking about other new and fresh ways to use the paint, and came across some really great ideas!

My kitchen blackboard.

Painted onto the backs of cabinets, or even bookcases, I have used wallpaper to do this, but never chalkboard paint!

place mats. A cute play on blackboard menus.

herb planter.

No needles to sweep!

A menu is fairly common,  but I love the subway tile frame.

It works in a modern setting as well!

A great way to practice your geography,

Easter eggs!

labels

A wall calendar in various shades of gray.
  

Come on! SO creative,

Kitchen back splash! I'm also loving the little cookbook shelves above, but I digress.

Painted trays. Serve decanted wine and write the vintage on the tray!

Chalkboard paint can be any color you wish!

I'll say it again - I love a painted stair!

Antiquing in Hudson NY

While visiting a friend recently in upstate New York, I had the chance to spend an afternoon in the antiquing destination of Hudson. I have been hearing about how great the antiquing was in this town, and have wanted to visit for years.

Like most things hyped, it was perhaps not quite as great as I had anticipated it being, but there were some good shops and lots of cute pubs, cafes, galleries, and such. And i do believe the whole experience is probably much more pleasant in nicer weather; we went on a bitterly cold and windy February day.

Here are some tips if you find yourself there!

There is really just one main street, Warren Street, on which all the shops are located. It is very long, though, 7 or 8 blocks. The architecture of the area is very beautiful, but it is clear the heyday of the town was many moons ago.

Again, there are many great shops and galleries. And the selection is superb: junky shops where you have to dig for your finds; very sophisticated shops; some selling mid century pieces; some Victorian antiques; some simple vintage finds.

One stop I had to make was at Red Chair Antiques. This favorite of mine used to be in Peterboro NH but moved to Hudson a while back. It always has an absolutely wonderful selection of vintage things, and the owner is an absolute genius at merchandising and styling her store.

Rural Residence is a stop I recommend highly. A lovely mix of vintage and regular retail and charming and welcoming employees, something NOT the norm in most of the other shops I entered, Tsk Tsk.

A few other stand outs for me were:

Trout & Co: one of the dusty, search-for-it places, it had items of a more industrial edge.

Hudson Home: A stunning home design shop, with very high end sofas, tables, chairs, accessories. Beautifully merchandised. A place to dream of future design schemes.

Henry: A lovely small shop with vintage Hudson Bay blankets (great for upholstery) and other unique and interesting finds and a great mix of primitive and industrial, but with appallingly unfriendly and unhelpful customer service. I'd like to hope it was just one bad day.....

Neven and Neven Moderne: A fantastic array of mid century modern classics: Eames, Saarinen, Gibbings, Knoll. 

There are many, many more of course, these are just a few suggestions. 

And lots of places to duck into for a hot toddy (in my case) or something cool if you go in better weather.

So if you have the chance to go, enjoy!

White Dove Is On Pinterest!

Just a quick note to let you all know that I have, finally, opened a Pinterest page. I know, I am the last person on earth to do so. Many have told me that I would be instantly hooked once I did jump in, and that has turned out to be true!

Yes, of course, there is a way to link this blog to my Pinterest page, so you only have to click on an icon and be instantly swept away.

No, I can't figure out how to do it.

So for now go to:
www.pinterest.com/whitedovepins 

Bookmark me or something!

Hope you enjoy it!

When is a Nook not a Nook?

Long before the word "Nook" meant an e-reader device, it meant a cozy little built in space where one could nap, read, rest, or daydream in blissful isolation, as the whole idea is that it only fits one. OK, maybe two. Ahem.

A successful nook has pillows and blankets, light to read by ~ either electric or natural, a way to block that light if needed, perhaps a curtain for absolute privacy.

Four months into a Northeastern winter, I'd like to crawl in and be woken when it's spring.